Columbia Business School requires that all MBA applications must be submitted by midnight Eastern Standard Time.

The Columbia Business School MBA Admissions Committee evaluates Early Decision applications upon submission in a rolling process.

Early Decision candidates who are offered admission by Columbia Business School have up to two weeks to arrange their non-refundable $6,000 deposit which must be submitted to reserve a space in the class.

Rolling admissions for Regular Decision begins after Early Decision.

Applicants who wish to be considered for a merit-based fellowship must submit a complete application by the January deadline. Fellowship recipients for the August entry are announced between January and May.

It is advantageous to submit your application as early as possible to Columbia Business School within each round to both show your commitment and to avoid losing your spot to a similar candidate from the same demographic, country, or professional group.

Essay Questions

Columbia Business School Fall 2016 Full Time MBA Essay Questions

Applicants must complete one short answer question and three essays.

Short Answer Question:
What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (50 characters maximum)

Examples of possible responses:
“Work in business development for a media company.”
“Join a strategy consulting firm.”
“Launch a data-management start-up.”

Essay Questions:

Through your resume and recommendations, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals going forward, and how will the Columbia MBA help you achieve them? (500-word limit)

Columbia Business School’s location enables us to bridge theory and practice in multiple ways: through Master Classes, internships, the New York Immersion Seminars, and, most importantly, through a combination of distinguished research faculty and accomplished practitioners. How will you take advantage of being “at the very center of business”? (250-word limit)

CBS Matters, a key element of the School’s culture, allows the people in your Cluster to learn more about you on a personal level. What will your Clustermates be pleasantly surprised to learn about you? (250-word limit)

Optional Essay:
An optional fourth essay will allow you to discuss any issues that do not fall within the purview of the required essays.

Knight-Bagehot Fellows:
Rather than answer Essay 1, current Knight-Bagehot Fellows applying to Columbia Business School should use the space allocated to the first essay (500 words) to complete the Wiegers Fellowship application essay.

Wiegers Fellowship Essay Question:
What are your career goals? How has the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship affected these goals? How will an MBA help you achieve these goals? (500 words maximum)

Application Requirements

Number of Recommendation Letters

2

Undergraduate Academic Degree

Bachelor Degree or Equivalent

Aptitude Test

GMAT or GRE score

English Test

TOEFL, IELTS or PTE score

Interview Policy

Invite Only

Application Fee

$250

Accelerated MBA Application Deadlines

School

Program

Option / Type

Round

Deadline

Notification

Deposit

2nd Deposit

Interview

Orientation

Classes Begin

Columbia

Accelerated MBA

January

Rolling

10/07/15

January

The Accelerated MBA Program is completed in four consecutive terms, beginning in January and concluding in May the following year.

Please note that there is no early decision option for January entry and that, due the timing of the application cycle, January-entry applicants are not eligible for merit fellowship consideration.

The Admissions Office begins reviewing applications for January entry once the application becomes available in May.

The final application deadline is in October.

The program is ideal for:

Entrepreneurs

Individuals who will be joining or returning to family business

Students who are sponsored by their employers

Students who plan to remain in their chosen field or who have built a strong network in the industry of their choice

Essay Questions

Columbia Business School 2016 Accelerated MBA Essay Questions

Applicants must complete one short answer question and three essays.

Short Answer Question:
What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (50 characters maximum)

Examples of possible responses:
“Work in business development for a media company.”
“Join a strategy consulting firm.”
“Launch a data-management start-up.”

Essay Questions:

Through your resume and recommendations, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals going forward, and how will the Columbia MBA help you achieve them? (Maximum 500 words)

Columbia Business School’s location enables us to bridge theory and practice in multiple ways: through Master Classes, internships, the New York Immersion Seminars, and, most importantly, through a combination of distinguished research faculty and accomplished practitioners. How will you take advantage of being “at the very center of business”? (Maximum 250 words)

CBS Matters, a key element of the School’s culture, allows the people in your Cluster to learn more about you on a personal level. What will your Clustermates be pleasantly surprised to learn about you? (Maximum 250 words)

Optional Essay:
An optional fourth essay will allow you to discuss any issues that do not fall within the purview of the required essays.

Knight-Bagehot Fellows:
Rather than answer Essay 1, current Knight-Bagehot Fellows applying to Columbia Business School should use the space allocated to the first essay (500 words) to complete the Wiegers Fellowship application essay.

Wiegers Fellowship Essay Question:
What are your career goals? How has the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship affected these goals? How will an MBA help you achieve these goals? (500 words maximum)